Metaworld – the first use of the term?

The talk about the invention of the Metaverse in 2021 reminded me that in about 1985 I developed a graphic novel with the title Metaworld.
I didn’t finish the project, although the plot did reach a second draft and several dozen of the pages were drawn to a reasonable level. They are all hidden away in the attic, and at the moment all I can find is this sketch of one of the pages, featuring one of the inhabitants of Metaworld.

 

This may be a very early use of the term ‘Meta’ to describe a world (Metaworld) or a universe (Metaverse). When I thought it up computer technology as we know it was in its infancy. I think I was using one of the first Macs at the time. The pages of Metaworld were drawn with pencil and paper.

Drawn: about 1985